Sunday, 18 September 2016

Three hours in Rome; Photo Diary

Whilst a lot of people think my life is a whirlwind of organising glamorous events and exploring beautiful destinations, that's definitely not the whole reality. Yes, I am lucky enough to visit a new country every couple of weeks, but I don't get to spend much time outside the event venue - an evening if I'm lucky, but usually only an hour to two.

Whilst running an event in Zurich back in July, I vowed to make sure I would try my absolute best to make the most of the cities I visit with work and make an effort to go and and see at least something in any spare second I had.

Over the August Bank Holiday, I was running a couple of events in Rome and managed three glorious hours to explore the City Centre. Of course, I didn't get to see much, especially as I was in the queue for the Colosseum for an hour, but that, along with the Trevi Fountain were the two things I feel like I waited my life to see, well since Lizzie McGuire anyway.

If you're ever visiting the Colosseum, I would recommend buying tickets in advance to save the giant queue - I was queuing for an hour in the boiling heat! Also take a bottle of water in, I didn't stupidly, and I was dehydrating in 34 degrees of heat!

There's a lot of people trying to get you to pay for a private tour while you're in the queue, I didn't do it, but for the price, I don't personally think it would be worth it. You can rent an audio tour to listen to walking around from the venue itself, or walking around you end up accidentally tagging on to private tours here and there and listening in any way.

One other tip, if you're from an EU country and between 18-25, don't forget to bring ID as you can get a big discount on the entry price, I think I only paid €7.50 to get in.

After spending an hour in awe of the Colosseum, I took a walk over the Trevi Fountain thanks to my trusty Google Maps! It took amount 20 minutes and there was so much to see on the way. I was amazed at how many ruins there are around the City, everywhere you look. Next time I would love to have a tour guide with me to explain exactly what everything is/was.

Of course, I have my true Lizzue McGuire moment and made a wish in the Trevi Fountain - minus the gorgeous Italian pop star though unfortunately...

Even though it was a ridiculously short trip into the City, I'm so so glad I made time, and it was worth staying up all night to carry on with work when I got back to the hotel.

Here's my vow to have at least 3 hours exploring in each City I visit for work. Next up, Amsterdam...